Glass Formation in the GeSe₂-As₂Se₃-MeCh Systems (Me = Cu, Ag, Zn, Cd, Sn, Pb; Ch = S, Se, Te)

The creation of novel, effective materials with specific properties is necessary to advance technology. To do this, objective regularities between the material's composition, structure, and properties must be found. A comparative analysis of glass-forming regions, arranged according to the systematic substitution of one element by its analog within a periodic system subgroup, provides a useful framework for discussing trends in glass formation in semiconductor alloys. In this review, the information on the glass formation in the chalcogenide systems GeSe₂-As₂Se₃-MeCh, where Me = Cu, Ag, Zn, Cd, Sn, Pb; Ch = Se, Te, was subjected to a thorough comparative analysis to establish objective patterns in the change in the glass-forming ability in these systems. The effect of MeCh on the formation of glass in the binary system GeSe₂-As₂Se₃ was traced.